The Rebel Belle Tuck Self


“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. Rebel Belle. I Have I always been this bold? Absolutely not. I was taught that it


is conceited and arrogant to love myself out loud, to talk about my life or toot my own horn. Me, a rebel? Me, a rule-breaker? Not a chance! Born in the 1950s in a small southern town, I was schooled in the rules of genteel southern behavior. My mother insisted upon all the social graces. She raised me to be small, quiet, and polite; to stay in my place, act pretty, and speak when spoken to. Never was I to speak my truth, especially around men or other people of authority. Instead, I was taught to nurture the needs of others at the expense of my own freedom and happiness. Tapping into the innate grace and charm characteristic of southern


women, I learned to play the game very early. I became a chameleon, shifting roles from moment to moment. It didn’t matter what I wanted to be: I was what was expected of me, and I was equipped to do it all. I was in awe of my mother, who was like Katie Scarlett O’Hara’s twin sister. I dressed in her clothes, shoes and hats. I daintily drank coffee and smoked my candy cigarettes. I hosted tea parties and bridge clubs just like my mother and her southern sisters. I modeled these southern women of character who were nurturing and subservient, but also strong and powerful from holding families together during the war. With their guidance, I emerged quite successfully as a perfect southern belle.


But by the time I hit my forties, I was exhausted, and totally


confused about my identity. Was I to ban the bra and make my place in the world, or keep the home fi res burning? Was I the Perfect Daughter,


” – K. Hepburn


am “rebeliciously” excited to lift my skirt, show a li’l bit of my petticoat ruffl e, and reveal my journey from southern belle to


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